The atmosphere in the room was intense, but there was no outright hostility despite the exchange of words. Somehow, that seemed reassuring to everyone present. It showed that the General might not have actually meant the words he had uttered and had no intention of causing a commotion, especially since he didn’t seem disturbed by the questions being asked.

Some were beginning to think the reception he had received was what made him act out, while others didn’t care much about the ongoing situation. Kneeling with their heads bowed was no problem to them, so long as they got to keep their heads attached to their bodies. They knew that if a clash broke out between the General and their Lord, they would be the first to suffer from the chaos and its aftermath.

After taking a moment to breathe, the General regulated the energy within the sphere-shaped mirror, making the imagery clearer for both parties. He also used the moment to calm himself so he wouldn’t deviate from the purpose of contacting them.

He knew they would probably be on edge after hearing what he had to say, and if he wanted his plan to succeed, he would need to calm them down and win them over.

“Hmm… You’re right. I contacted you not for wordplay, but because there has been a new development. A change of plan, you might say.”

“I see. And what is the change, Sire?”

“An invasion. You are to prepare yourselves and your members for an invasion,” he said with utmost seriousness.

“An invasion? Right now?” the other demons whispered, worry staining their voices.

Normally, they would have been excited by the news. But after hearing the report from the remnant demons and the General’s earlier words, thoughts of being cast out for slaughter began to stir in their minds, and their courage started to waver.

Although they didn’t expect much better from their superior, since value was based either on bloodline or power level, making it so obvious only made them feel more uneasy.

Like the others, Lord Oka was also scared for his life, but he was more concerned about whether the General knew the supposed strength of the hunters here and whether Lord Yu had completed the original mission.

He already knew Lord Omiha was dead, and proceeding with an invasion while the original mission was yet to be accomplished seemed foolish, especially when the General had emphasized the immeasurable value of what Alice had taken.

Even if Lord Yu had completed the mission, an invasion with their combined forces still seemed inadequate because of their numbers and individual strength. At most, they might be able to take over certain regions. But if the hunters were truly as strong as the remnant demons claimed, then victory would be close to, if not outright impossible.

Three ordinary members had been enough to wipe out a Lord and most of his party members. Without even knowing the true strength of the hunters, an invasion would be suicide.

Lord Oka pondered the situation, believing the General needed to clear the air.

However, he knew a direct approach might not work. It could be perceived as insolence or insubordination, which might simply mean putting his own head on the chopping block. But refusing to ask would only lead him and his members to their deaths.

Taking the General’s bluntness into account, however, he knew there was a chance the man might simply dish out threats or insults instead of taking actual action. That would at least reduce his chances of being punished.

“Okay, General, but if I may ask, why now? I mean, Lord Yu is still in pursuit of Alice. Won’t an invasion hinder his efforts since our numbers are nowhere near enough to assure its success? And the—”

“And is that your excuse for choosing not to proceed with the mission?”

“No, Sire. I was only—”

“Enough. I don’t need your petty excuses. But I guess you’re going to find out sooner or later, so I’ll entertain your question. However, I’ll advise you to brace yourself. The answer is not all that pleasant.”

“Okay, Sire…”

“The reason behind the change in our mission, and why the affairs of Lord Yu will in no way be hindered, is because Lord Yu and his party members are dead. As are Omiha and most of his party members, including the ones he sent to the east. They were killed last night.”

The General’s expression darkened as he shared the news, clearly displeased by how easily the Lords had met their end.

He had cut into Lord Oka’s statement with the revelation, believing it would put them on edge. Now, he prepared to ease their concerns and counter Lord Oka’s pointed objections.

“What-what? Lord Yu and his party members were also killed? But he is one of the top-ranking Lords! His strength and energy level are unbelievable! What the hell is happening?” the demons whispered in panic.

The remnant demons were not as shaken by the news of Lord Yu and his party members’ deaths, nor by the deaths of the members who had been sent east, since they had witnessed the hunters’ strength firsthand.

However, like Lord Oka, they wondered how the General knew of their deaths.

But since he wasn’t finished talking, asking would mean interrupting him, which would be rude and of no benefit to them. So Lord Oka waited for the General to finish.

“It was strange because, like all of you, their energy was concealed. Only someone from the rank of Captain or above should have been able to sense them. Although the remnant hunters’ corps here is rumored to be fierce—a force to reckon with—at least some of them are. And I’m not talking about their Captain or Vice-Captain…” He paused briefly.

“…However, taking down two Lords in one night with so few men available is downright hardcore. They are way stronger than I thought. Or maybe you Lords are just weak. Either way, they must be dealt with.”

“I see. So, you knew the ordinary members of the hunter corps here were stronger than your average hunter?”

“Yes! What about it?”

“But, Sire—”

“But what? You Lords are nothing more than lucky bastards who were born with immense demonic power, which gives you an edge over most demons, but you never worked a day for it.”

“Rogue demons and even low-level demons are better off than you wusses. At least they push themselves and train to break their limits. But you bastards only bask in the immense power you were born with. You never work for it, and you don’t even try to break your limits or become stronger. That’s why most of you remain nothing more than Lords craving easy wins to get by.”

“You all disgust me…”

The General’s words were mocking and dismissive of their status and bloodline.

Lord Oka was enraged by every word uttered, but even so, he made sure to keep his rage in check and not overreact. After all, the General was still his superior. Acting out would only give him the excuse he needed to carry out his earlier threat.

The image in the sphere-shaped mirror became clearer as the demons in the room raised their gazes to get a better look at the General. As expected, they saw the disgust on his face, along with an expression of annoyance that showed just how much he despised their Lords, the nobles, and their bloodlines.

Although Lord Oka’s party members were not nobles, they simply couldn’t stand hearing their Lord insulted or mocked by anyone, even the General. Every word of insult stirred their anger, even as they remained on their knees.

Unable to do anything but bottle up their anger and conceal their rage, they listened in silence. Saying or doing anything would only add to the problem, especially when they were all low-level demons.

All they could do was listen as the General tore their Lord’s pride to shreds.

The rogues present, meanwhile, were less concerned about the dispute. The remnant demons of Lord Omiha simply watched the exchange, surprised by the possibility their earlier speculation might actually be true—and by the General’s bluntness.

Although the General’s words were harsh, there was some truth to them. The Lords rarely tried to improve their techniques or increase their strength. They simply enjoyed their lives, indulging in pleasure, scenery, or, in some cases, sadistic and psychopathic tendencies.

After looking past the insults, some of the demons, especially the rogues, began to reason through what the General had said.

They started to wonder if the Lords’ personalities might have contributed to their quick deaths. They were subconsciously beginning to accept the General’s words while also seeing the possibility of success in an invasion under his command.

Still, the thought of an ordinary hunter being extremely powerful horrified them, as did the possibility of being nothing more than pawns.

Lord Oka, on the other hand, was infuriated by the General’s words and eager to know whether that was the reason he had sent them there to die.

Perhaps the mission had merely been an excuse.

He wanted to test the possibility of the speculation raised by the remnant demons.

“So, is that why you sent us here on this mission? To… teach us a lesson, Sire?”

“Don’t flatter yourself. If I wanted to teach you wusses a lesson, I’d do it directly. I won’t let some hunters deny me the pleasure of doing so. So, get off your high horse. You’re nothing special.”

“The only reason I sent you all here was to get Alice—mainly what she took, the relic. You see, it is important to the success of the war.”

“The others are just bonuses. Lord Yu seemed to have caught her a few months ago, but his stupidity gave her the chance to escape before word got to me. And history repeated itself last night before he and his party were killed.”

The General replied, sharing what he knew to keep them on good terms with him while simultaneously placing the blame for their current circumstances on Lord Yu.

“I see. So that’s why you overlooked my lack of participation and didn’t complain until now. But that would also mean we’re in this mess because of that sick bastard…”

Lord Oka kept his thoughts to himself.

“But still, what about the information you gave us? It was false. And what exactly is the relic she stole? Why is it so important?” Having one question answered had only opened the door to many more.

Upon realizing that, he kept his thoughts to himself after noticing that his members seemed to be accepting the General’s answers. The tension in the room was beginning to ease, and for the moment, that was good enough for Lord Oka.

“You’re all probably thinking the information I gave you was false, or that it might have been about something other than the mission I gave you. But it wasn’t a setup, nor was it false.”

“I can’t tell you exactly how I got the information, but I assure you, it didn’t come from any living being.”

“It’s like I said earlier. There was a rumor that there were stronger hunters here than the average ones in the sector. But it wasn’t confirmed, nor was there any proof at the time. And believe me, I checked.”

“But out of caution, and to prevent personnel casualties—since my life is also on the line here—I made sure to conceal your presence with the seals passed to your Lords to share with you. At the same time, I made sure my subjects applied much-needed pressure on the hunters in the Soul Sector, forcing them to seek reinforcements from all their branches in the human world.”

“Especially here.”

“By doing so, I rendered the corps here short on manpower, removing key players like the Captain and other senior-ranked hunters to make your workload easier. I believed your strength would be enough to handle the rest.”

“But it seems even that wasn’t enough. I didn’t anticipate that they would be this strong.”

“Either way, I guess I underestimated those bastards and overestimated you all. That’s a miscalculation on my part.”

“But that is why I’m here now—to handle the situation and make it right.”

The General’s words carried a strange mixture of arrogance and reassurance. He was persuading them that everything he had done was intended to keep them safe, while positioning himself as the one who could now turn the situation around.